Dean Ludwig—Fine Custom Rocking Chairs
in the Maloof Tradition—Artist’s Statement

I am an independent, full-time studio furniture maker from Toledo, Ohio.  In recent years, I have spent most of my time designing and building custom wood furnishings for churches across the United States and Canada.  When I have a break in my church commissions, my favorite pieces to build are rocking chairs, primarily because of the challenge that they represent. 

Rocking chairs are complex to build and challenging to properly balance.  Each piece on my chairs is shaped with hand tools—there is no other way of accomplishing the flowing shapes and joinery.  It takes me about 120 hours to complete a chair. 

I learned the art of making this style of chair from the renowned furniture/rocking chair maker, Sam Maloof, whose work is now displayed in museums across the country and who made rocking chairs for a number of our presidents.  You can definitely see Sam’s influence in my style, but my chairs also have their own identity. 

My favorite form for a chair was the famous Boston rocker of the mid-1800s.  Early in my exploration of the rocking chair, I blended the Maloof style with the form of the Boston rocker.  The result is my standard model—the “Presidential.”  I believe you will find it pleasing to both the eye and the touch.   I hold myself to the highest standards of workmanship.  It is my desire to make the finest rocking chairs in the world—chairs that will be enjoyed for generations.